Nanotube based thermal motors: sub-nanometer motion of cargoes driven by thermal gradients
Amelia Barreiro
Science 320, 775 (2008)
LAAS, Toulouse
microfabricated motors
Visionary concepts in nanoscience
Molecular bearings
Cumings, Zettl, Science 2000Yu, Yakobson, Ruoff, J. Phys. Chem B 2000Kis et al., PRL 2006
MWNTs Low friction
Molecular bearings
Fennimore et al., Nature 2003Bourlon et al., Nano Letters 2004
MWNTs Low friction
Motion controlled by atomic arrangement
(5,5) - (10,10) (29,9) - (38,8) (27,12) - (32,17)
Saito, Matsuo, Kimura, Dresselhaus, DresselhausChemical Physics Letters 2001
Motion controlled by atomic arrangement
1. Nanofabrication and device characterisation
Alignment marks
Nanotubes
Si substrate (gate)
SiO2
E-beam design preparation
Nano-Engineering
0 1 2 3 4 5
0,0
0,1
0,2
0,3
0,4
I (m
A)
U (V)
Electrode 1
Electrode 2
Collins et al, Science 2001
Bourlon et al, PRL 2004
Heat sink
move the plate with an AFM tip
300 nm
Verification of the device layout
Etching
AFM actuation
Statistics of engineered samples:
10 out of 11 devices moved (35 – 680 kΩ)6 purely rotated4 showed translation combined with rotation
2 of 2 did NOT move (1.2 M Ω and 1.5 M Ω)
Statistics of non-engineered samples:
5 of 5 devices did NOT move (13 kΩ – 78 kΩ)
Engineered vs non-engineered devices
2. Motion upon passing a large current
Stepwise rotation
Stepwise rotation
7º corresponds to about 0.4 nm displacement
Saito, Matsuo, Kimura, Dresselhaus, DresselhausChemical Physics Letters 2001
ΔE ~ 10 μeV/atom
(27,12)-(32,17)
Motion controlled by atomic arrangement
Periodic barriers
TkE
Be ⋅Δ
−
=Γπω2
Thermally enhanced process
mk
=ω
Approximation of linear harmonic oscillator:
20
2
2
aE
rEk Δ≈
∂∂
= diffusion rate Г~ 1 Hz, a0=1 nm,m mass of gold plate,
Diffusion barrier ΔE ~ 0.017 meV/atom
Saito et al. predict a potential barrier of 0.010 meV/atom
Rotation
(5,5)-(10,10) (29,9)-(38,8) (27,12)-(32,17)
Saito, Matsuo, Kimura, Dresselhaus, DresselhausChemical Physics Letters 2001
ΔE ~ 10 μeV/atom
Motion controlled by atomic arrangement
Periodic barriers
Translation
3. Driving mechanism
3. Driving mechanism
No electromigration!
Bulk Au melting point: 1064 ºC
Melting temperatureof Au versus cluster size
Thermal Energy
Joule heating
Thermal actuation
Phonons drive the motion
4. Molecular dynamics calculations
R. Rurali (UAB), E. Hernández (ICMAB)
Mass of the moveable shell
Number of atoms of the moveable shell
Temperature gradient
Speed of translation
our worldbiological motors
ratchet effectnanotube
thermal motors
5. Conclusion: new type of motion
Possible applications
Moving objects at the nanoscale
laser
Acknowledgements
Adrian Bachtold
Riccardo Rurali, Eduardo Hernández
Joel Moser
Jordi Llobet, Xavier Borrisé
Thomas Pichler
Laszlo Forró